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Brahms Requiem and Handel's Messiah at Colston Hall

Published: 16th November 2012 11:41

Bristol Choral Society opens its new Colston Hall concert season on Saturday 24 November at 7.30pm with a performance of the lyrical and deeply moving Requiem by Brahms. The choir will be joined by the accomplished orchestra New Bristol Sinfonia and international soloists - Korean soprano Hye-Youn Lee and South-African baritone Njabulo Madlala (winner of the 2010 Kathleen Ferrier competition) - all conducted by Adrian Partington.

 

Brahms specifically chose the text for his unique Requiem to create a work to comfort the living, rather than setting the traditional Latin text of the 'Mass for the dead' complete with its passages about judgement and damnation. The warm message of humanity and consolation in Brahms' work is perhaps summed up best by the very opening words 'Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted', and the theme of a transition from anxiety to comfort recurs throughout his 'German Requiem' (named principally after the language in which it is set, and will be sung in this performance). Brahms himself said he could have gladly named 'A Human Requiem' reflecting that emphasis in this work of such moving words set to such powerful and beautiful music.

Yvonne Preece, Chair of Bristol Choral Society, explains why the performance this month will have extra
poignancy for the choir - 'We were deeply saddened to learn of the tragic death of the baritone Robert Poulton in a car accident at the end of October. Robert had been due to sing in our upcoming March concert as one of our
soloists, so he will be very much in our thoughts as we sing Brahms next Saturday'.

The choir's season continues with the return of its renowned performance of Handel's Messiah at the Colston Hall on its traditional date of the Saturday before Christmas, 22 December. This is no ordinary year, as 2012 marks 120 years since the choir's first Messiah at Colston Hall (on 21 December 1892) that has gone on to become a traditional feature of Christmas in Bristol almost every year since. But this is no ordinary Messiah either: it may be old, but it's certainly not old-fashioned - performed completely from memory (believed to be the only choir in the country to do so), sung with the vitality and articulation of a chamber choir and with the scintillating playing of Baroque orchestra Music for Awhile, it really is a unique and musically spectacular start to a Bristol Christmas.

As well as the complete evening performance of Messiah, a Mini Messiah family concert in the afternoon - another feature unique to Bristol - returns for a third year to give children a tantalising taste of some of the wonders of this perennial festive favourite, complete with the exquisite playing of Baroque orchestra Music for Awhile and a quartet of distinguished vocal soloists.

Tickets for the Brahms and Messiah evening concerts, priced £10 - £23 (£5 for under 25s, 10% discount for OAPs), are available online from www.bristolchoral.co.uk or from Colston Hall in person or by phone: 0117 922 3686.
Tickets for the Mini Messiah afternoon family concert, priced at £5 for adults and free for accompanied children, are also available online from www.bristolchoral.co.uk or from Colston Hall.

There will also be a collection for Bristol-based music therapy charity Musicspace at the November Brahms
concert and for the Lord Mayor of Bristol's Christmas Appeal for Children at the Messiah concert.

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